Demand for bandwidth by enterprises and individual consumers continues to rise exponentially. To meet this demand, fiber optics have become the standard cabling medium. Fiber optics relies on individual optical fibers of glass or polymers that are on the order of 250 microns in diameter. Data centers use high-density cabling, with individual fiber optic cables containing one or more optical fibers. Typically, in these high-density environments, MPO (multiple push on) connectors are used for connecting multiple optical fibers from a single multi-fiber cable. Fiber counts may be, for example, 8, 16, 32, or 64 fibers. MPO optical connectors are subject to high side-loading forces. These side-loading forces occur at equipment connection points due to the cables being bent in a downward direction. A side-loaded fiber optic cable is depicted in FIG. 2B.
Further, current optical connectors typically use many small components assembled into a single connector. An example of a prior art connector is depicted in FIG. 1A (exploded view) and FIG. 1B (assembled). Prior art connector 10 includes a dust cap 15 and an outer housing 20 that surrounds an inner housing 25 and employs micro springs 30 to bias the outer housing towards the distal (connection direction) end of the connector. From the proximal end, backpost 55, spring 70, pin keeper 50, guide pins 45, optical ferrule 35 and ferrule boot 40 are assembled into the inner housing 25. Crimp ring 60 and boot 65 are assembled over the end of an optical cable. Many designs use components that “snap fit” into each other during assembly. For example, in the connector of FIG. 1A, the backpost 55 snap fits into inner housing 25. Therefore, not only the side-loading stress during use but the stress of assembly may cause these components to break. Further mechanical stress is applied to the components during testing, such as in FIG. 2B (the arrow indicating the direction of loading), providing another occasion for components of an optical connector to fail.
Current optical connectors feature a backpost, shown in FIG. 1 and FIG. 2A. The backpost includes a pair of legs that may be prone to breaking at region 75 under side loads, as seen in the photograph of FIG. 2A. Typically, the backpost is fabricated from a polymeric component and is configured to snap fit into the connector housing. Breaking of a backpost leg may occur at the point where the backpost latches into the housing, as depicted by the arrow in FIG. 2C or at the corner of the backpost leg, where it meets the backpost base. The breaking of a connector may interrupt traffic carried by the optical fiber and requires a new connector to be spliced to the end of the fiber, a time-consuming process. Therefore, there is a need in the art for optical connectors that can withstand strong side-loading forces.
Fiber optic connectors typically feature an outer housing that is resiliently-biased in a forward direction by a pair of housing micro-springs, as seen in FIG. 1A and FIG. 4B. Manufacture of the connector is complicated by the presence of these springs which must be carefully assembled between the main body and the outer housing. Further, the springs may fail by being bent or by having adjacent spring coils entangle one another. Thus, there is a need in the art for fiber optic connectors that do not include micro-springs, to ease assembly and reduce potential connector failure.